A Good American

„A Good American“ is a gripping docu-thriller about a groundbreaking surveillance program, the brilliant mastermind behind it and how a perfect alternative to mass surveillance was killed by NSA-management for money – three weeks prior to 9/11.

Bill Binney was a brilliant cryptologist and long-time National Security Agency (NSA) analyst, since 1997 serving as Technical Director. Binney developed a sophisticated program named ThinThread for gathering data capable of providing clues, in real-time, of potential terrorist threats.


Bill Binney playing chess


Built-in safeguards would have prevented the massive surveillance methods later exposed by Edward Snowden. Why was this program killed off? And who was behind that?


ThinThread network

Friedrich Moser’s eye-opening and deeply disturbing documentary tells the complete story of Bill Binney and those, both inside the NSA and out, who backed ThinThread. A program that gathered data, lawfully, effectively, and more inexpensively, than the now discredited programs pursued by the US and EU governments.

Bad Aibling listening post

It’s also a chilling account of those willing to go on the record and what happened to them when they tried to expose the truth. Could ThinThread have prevented 9/11?

Very likely, as a test-run has shown, whose results are still classified to this day.


DoD IG report - title page




  • ​The Guardian Jan 7, 2016

    “Convincing! … fascinating… certainly packs a punch!”

  • ​IndieWIRE / ToH Jan 7, 2016

    “the film is a fascinating, sometimes jaw-dropping account of gifted individuals thwarted by self-serving superiors, with tragic results“

  • ​Filmmagasinet Ekko (Denmark) Jan 7, 2016

    "A Good American is as exciting as a well-made thriller....extremely cinematic“

  • ​Soundvenue (Denmark) Jan 7, 2016

    "an insanely compelling, well-orchestrated and explosive documentary."

Bill Binney, NSA, corruption, fraud, 9/11, ThinThread, intelligence, terrorism, Cold War, Trailblazer, Ed Loomis, Kirk Wiebe, Tom Drake, Diane Roark, outsourcing, contractors, Michael Hayden, Dick Cheney